Hahahahahahaha

It wasn't until The Great COVID Lockdown of 2020 that Sweet Hubby and I finally entered the world of streaming.   Up to that point, we had kept ourselves amused by relying on the library, Redbox, and our own collection of 1,000+ dvds.  During the early days of the lockdown, we learned that "Hamilton" was being shown free on Disney+ for a limited time.  We agreed we would subscribe temporarily, just to see this and maybe a couple of other films, and then let go of our subscription.

Well, it turns out that subscribing to streaming services is sort of like eating potato chips; it's awfully hard to keep it to one - or two - or three.  You get the idea.  So now we have a string of platforms to choose from, which means an almost overwhelming glut of material.

When we settle in to watch something at the end of the day (always with the fervent hope of lap time from a kitty), if we don't have time for an entire movie, we will often go to Netflix in search of comedy.  This has led to some wonderful discoveries: Hannah Gadsby, Taylor Tomlinson, Dave Chappelle, Ali Wong, Hari Kondabolu, Patton Oswalt, Ricky Gervais, Fortune Feinster, to name a few we have enjoyed.  The few we have not enjoyed shall remain nameless so that not to poison the well of your possible future amusement.

The gem of them all so far has been Mike Birbiglia.  The first time we watched one of his several shows, I laughed so hard that I literally peed my pants.  Even a couple of days later, I would recall that devastatingly funny moment and start laughing all over again.  Last night we watched another of his (I wore a panty liner this time, just in case) and it was once again an absolute delight.  

He's not just funny, though.  Like most of the best comedians, he sprinkles deep, thoughtful moments throughout his performances.  The one we watched last night, his most recent, titled "The New One", is wrenchingly personal and devastating while still being terribly, wonderfully funny.  Mike can kinda creep up on you.  He has a bland, Everyday Joe look and demeanor, comes across as a Regular Guy, even though one learns that there are parts of his life which are far from ordinary.  (Which is probably true of pretty much every supposedly ordinary person alive.)  He masterfully draws one in, does invisible setups for later payoffs, finds pure gold in the mess and confusion and surprises of being alive.  If you have never seen Mike Birbiglia, I invite you to do yourself a favor and watch him, soon and often.